West Ham United Are Ready To Make A Move For This Serie A Talent: Should Lopetegui Go For Him? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Tutto Udinese claimed that West Ham United are ready to make a move for Udinese talent Nahuen Perez. It has been stated that the Hammers are eyeing a move to bring the Argentine centre-back to the London Stadium this summer.

The 23-year-old had a solid season at Udinese recently after producing a handful of dominant displays at the heart of their backline. Perez failed to score or assist a goal in 36 appearances for the Italian outfit in the previous campaign across multiple competitions.

The Argentine defender gave a good account of himself on the defensive end of the field by averaging 2.0 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 4.1 clearances per game in Serie A football. He was even tidy when distributing the ball from the back based on his pass completion rate of 80.3% in the Italian first division (stats via whoscored).

His current contract at the Italian club will expire in the summer of 2027 which would make it difficult for the Hammers to land him on a cut-price deal later this year.

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – APRIL 01: Nehuen Perez of Udinese Calcio kicks the ball during the Serie A TIM match between US Sassuolo and Udinese Calcio at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on April 01, 2024 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)

Should West Ham United Boss Julen Lopetegui Go For Perez?

Perez is a good tackler of the ball and can scan the danger well to make a few timely interceptions for his team inside his half. He doesn’t mind clearing his lines when the opposition are on the offensive and is proficient at playing his way out from the back.

Standing at 1.86m, the Argentine defensive ace is a strong presence in the air as well. He mainly plays as a central defender but can also operate as a right-back if required. We can expect Perez to bring more bite and steel to West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui’s defence. He is good enough to help the Hammers compete across all fronts in the coming years.

At 23, Perez has a bright future ahead of him, so Lopetegui would be wise to go for a player of his skillset this summer. However, only time will tell whether he can make a smooth transition to life in the Premier League if the East London giants manage to bring him on board soon.